Tag : Personal

The To Do list is a glorious mess of scribbles and most importantly strike throughs and as I write this I have that nervous feeling of either having done everything I needed to do or forgotten everything. But we’re off and everything appears to be in place for when we get back so for the time being I’m going to roll with it.

As we head off to the Channel Islands to stay with family for three weeks I’ve decided to take a break from the blog for August. There will be the odd post and of-course I’ll be on Twitter & Instagram with Alderney updates but August is also dedicated to working on my new project so when I come back in September I am really hopeful that I can divulge every detail…until then, I hope everyone has a wonderful summer!

Juggling lots of different elements of my life tests me to me absolute limit. The feeling of achievement and productivity cannot be beaten but getting to that point can be a bit of a bumpy ride. I like to feel in control. To get to a place where I’m ahead and ready to proactively move on to the next job is always my ultimate goal. There’s nothing worse than that feeling of spiralling further down into the depths of disorganisation or on a good day where you feel like you’re just about treading water.

But there’s always a balance for me. I love having control but being super organised doesn’t come naturally and in all honestly I find it a tad boring. There’s a part of me that likes things a little bit random and I enjoy the ride of flying by the seat of my pants. Getting that perfect balance is the hard part.

Putting more on my plate lately has forced me into orderly habits and I have to admit I quite like it. Here are three of the ways I keep productive.

As boring as it sounds, one of my biggest hurdles when keeping top of things is putting the washing away. I can do the washing, I can hang it up but putting it away is my nemesis. It trips me up every week. The pile would get higher and higher which would then lead to other things not being done (I always find this, once I start losing control in one area I quickly lose control elsewhere too).

The other week I sat and identified the things that make me feel out of control and focussed on making sure that even if I don’t do anything else, I do those things. And it worked. It’s still a conscious behaviour but it seems to be working.

For those who check into the blog regularly, you may have noticed pockets of silence recently. This has not been sitting well with me so I thought it was only right and honest of me to give you an explanation.

I’m currently working on a project that could see My Pollyanna turn into a very real, tangible entity. It’s still very, very early days and I don’t want to tempt fate (or if I’m honest I don’t want to look silly if it doesn’t happen!) by saying exactly what it is but needless to say, it’s taking up a lot of my time and something has had to give. And that thing has been the blog.

I love writing the blog but I also like things to be right. If I’m not able to produce something that I’m pleased with, I haven’t produced anything at all. I’m not sure if this is the right thing or not, I’m no expert but I do believe that the essence of a blog is that it’s personal and honest.

As a result I just get riddled with guilt so in some ways, perhaps this post is more of an outlet for me to release some of that guilt but either way I just wanted to explain.

It was when I was on holiday that I started planning My Pollyanna. That was a year ago and if someone had told me then what the past year was going to entail I wouldn’t have believed them. I’ve had brilliant experiences and met some great people. Some contacts and more importantly, some really great friends. Who knew this cyber world could be such a friendly, inspiring and comforting place?

I want this to continue but for the time being it’s going to be a juggling act between blogging and getting the business up and running.

Thank you for reading and all the lovely comments now and over the past year.

It’s been a bit of strange one this past week and definitely not one that I had accounted for in my blogging schedule! The complicated extraction of a wisdom tooth followed by infection wiped me out and it’s taken a little while to get the blogging cogs turning again.

Life goes on though and it’s been nice to slow things down and bit and indulge in some of the little pleasures…

I’m notoriously bad at coping in the school holidays. The whole lack of routine gets me every time. I’m usually just a bit underprepared and my expectations are too high and mostly unachievable. These holidays my approach was different. I took some guidance from a lovely friend who gave me the very simple advice of planning and doing one thing everyday.

It’s amazing how the simplest things can pass you by sometimes. So I did just that…

Any other survival tips?

When we moved house almost two months ago, my initial instinct was to nest. Within days the boxes were unpacked, pictures were hung and candles were placed on neatly stacked coffee table books. We pretty much worked around the clock to get everything ‘just so’ as quickly possible so we could get on with life normale.

Fast forward a few weeks and I’m still working on my own space. At the moment it’s my own corner in a very light and bright room (the conservatory!) but I’m constantly titivating and adding to it and working out how I want it as I go. It’s by no means perfect but it’s quite nice to have a work in progress.

It’s a really important space for me. I can be sat at it for hours in daylight hours and after dark so it has to be inviting and comfortable or the lure of the sofa will win out in the evenings. Particularly at the moment with the girls’ on school holidays, the only time I get to sit is in the evenings.

I’ve made these customised pin boards from a tatty old pin board that I cut out and slotted into some old Ikea frames. I think I might paint them but for the moment they’re neat and effective.

I’m keeping a close eye on Pinterest too for any bright ideas and these are my favourites.

Any tips for clever workspace?

My mum is all of the above. If there is one overriding influence to my style, it’s been my Mum. That “inner classic” that I mention on my About Me page? Yeah…that’s actually my Mum. Sat on my shoulder telling me to reign it in.

She’s always been classic, well polished and put together but not in a “look at me” kind of way, just in a completely understated way. She just knows how to put an outfit together.

Her timeless, co-ordinated (but strictly not matching) style has never faltered. I can’t ever (and I really mean ever) remember her walking out the house without make-up on.

Growing up and shopping together it was all about good buys that will last and clothes that won’t date. But boy do I thank her for that now.

Family photos on my first birthday, 1981.

Late 70’s. I love this pencil skirt, clutch and heels. So chic.

I’m not sure my Dad will thank me for this one but not to worry, it is Mother’s Day after all. There’s something a little Lady Di about this dress…

In 2008 as Mother of the Bride.

Happy Mother’s Day x

It feels like ages since I’ve been sat at my desk blogging and I’ve missed it. In fact, being sat at a different desk in a different workspace has taken a little getting used to. I don’t think that moving home should ever be underestimated. It certainly took a lot more out of me than I had anticipated.

I’ve always considered myself a rebel against routine, preferring to have flexibility and spontaneity over rules and order. However, with age (and mostly the existence of two small people who rely on me for pretty much everything) and maturity I have had the overwhelming desire for order. My own set of rules that I know work for me. But it’s not something that comes naturally to me – I really have to work at it to perfect it. And I say ‘perfect’ in the loosest of terms, rarely is it perfect.

I can’t seem to function (or at least not effectively) without knowing where things are and having a sense of clarity. One of the biggest advantages of moving home is that it gives you a reason to de-clutter and reorganise your life. In recent years this is probably up there with one of my favourite things to do. Knowing exactly where things are and that everything has a place gives me a bit of a sad sense of satisfaction.

What I’m trying to say is that I decided to take the short break from blogging because I knew I wouldn’t be able to do it well. It would be a half-copped attempt at throwing something out there that I wouldn’t be proud of. Similarly if I’d spent time blogging the house/family would have suffered.

So this is my crawl back to full-time blogging. I’m pretty much there with sorting the house, I have the sunniest spot in the house as my workspace and we’re slowly finding our new routine. Not only that, Spring is in the air and I have a house full of fresh flowers so things are looking up!